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Wanted by Sedgwick County sheriff: Recruits to work at jail

The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office is dealing with an old challenge: recruiting deputies to work at the jail.

The office, which now has 40 open positions at the jail, is seeking applicants for a July 28 recruit class, sheriff’s Lt. David Mattingly said Wednesday. The goal is to hire 24 deputies for the July class, but the office remains short on applicants. If enough people apply, the office will hold a second class, Mattingly said.

Starting annual pay for the jail jobs is $30,254, which will increase slightly in August. The jobs also come with medical benefits.

A person can apply, Mattingly said, by going to HREpartners.com or calling 316-660-3800.

It’s always been difficult to keep full staffing at the jail, and that’s true for corrections facilities across the state, Mattingly said, “so it’s not just us.” The jail can employ 231 full-time detention deputies.

“This is not a new problem,” Mattingly said Wednesday. “I don’t know that we’ve ever been completely staffed in the detention facility. We are seldom fully staffed on the law enforcement side.”

Capt. Jared Schechter said the last time the jail was fully staffed was in 2009. Different law enforcement agencies typically recruit detention workers, thus creating a shortage, Schechter said.

Other times, deputies are lost because they find out the job is not for them, Schechter said.

“Working in a detention facility is not for everybody,” Schechter said. “It’s a thankless job. They do their job right every day behind the walls in here but nobody ever talks about what they do right.”

The Sheriff’s Office is dealing with the open positions by paying deputies to work overtime.

Although there are advancement opportunities in corrections jobs, many jail deputies use their corrections experience as a stepping stone to other law enforcement positions, he said.

“It does offer competitive pay and benefits packages,” Mattingly said. “You have a complete career path right here.”

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